Fidget, You Are a Mystery
by Troll-Theorist
Summary: From the moment of the Gadgetinis' activation, Fidget has been displaying behavior atypical of a robot. Digit thinks it's a malfunction, Penny thinks Fidget is just being silly, and Gadget is simply oblivious. One day, teleporting dragons bring chaos and change everything. *Gadget and the Gadgetinis is owned by Jean Chalopin, DiC Entertainment and SIP Animation.*
1. Chapter 1

**1\. Old and New**

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

A knight in shiny silver armor rode his similarly fortified white horse through the forest of dead trees. To his left, a boy one third shorter than him, apparently in his mid teens, rode a brown donkey. He had no armor over his bland clothes, and his head was covered by a black sheepskin hat.

"We're almost there, Milo!" the knight said to his companion.

The teenager's face gained a wide smile. "Are you going to slay the dragon using your new tool?"

"No, it's not meant to kill it. My flail could do that. But this time, I want to teach you how to properly slay a dragon. That's what I gave you that sword for."

Milo looked at the sheathed golden sword he carried at his waist. "Do you think I'm ready for such a task?"

"Of course you are!" the knight said, lifting his helmet's visor. "You're the about the same age I was when the King invited me to join the Knights of the Round Table."

"Do you think they will let me join if I slay the dragon?"

"Maybe. I'll do my best to convince them of your bravery."

Milo smiled at the knight, but then his smile faded as soon as he saw the dreaded cave with blazing torches on its entrance's sides. "Brother? I think _I_ am the one who needs to be convinced of my bravery. That place looks scary."

"Absurd, dear Milo! Our ancestors lived in caves. You will feel safe in there."

Seeing that the knight made his horse gallop toward the terrifying place, Milo shouted, "Josef! Wait! You'll wake up the dragon!"

Josef made his horse halt at the entrance, jumped off, and then petted the animal. "You'll have to wait here, Sorrowsweet." He pointed at the cave. "There be dragons."

Milo's donkey arrived, with its rider looking slightly pale.

"Leave Sir Heehawlot at the entrance, Milo! We can't afford to lose our animals; we might need them if we're forced to retreat."

"I p-prefer to just stay with him outside and w-watch."

Josef gave him a nasty look and then brought out a rope from a crevice in his armor. Then he proceeded to use it as a lasso to catch his brother and pull him off the donkey. Milo ended up being dragged into the cave, in spite of his struggle to free himself.

A roar shook the cave, and then loud, heavy thumps announced that the beast was approaching to meet the two brave men.

"I want my mommy," Milo said.

"Keep being like that and the dragon might take you to her," Josef said. Then he pulled the rope to bring his brother closer. "Now stand and fight!"

A large ball of fire came toward the brothers, knocked them both to the ground, and left them covered in soot as black smoke came from their bodies.

"Wonders!" Josef said. "I forgot to put my visor back on."

Finally freed from the now charred rope, Milo got up screaming, ran toward a rock, and hid behind it.

The knight was swiftly back on his legs. He covered his face with the visor and then said, "Quit hiding, Milo! You'll miss this very important lesson in dragon catching." Grabbing a chain from another compartment of his armor, he pulled out a metallic weight and began swinging it. "I've prepared this thing especially for your fiery breath, dragon!"

The giant red lizard revealed its scaly face and opened its jaws wide to threaten the intruders with its sharp teeth. Its wings fanned out to make the creature look bigger than it already was.

Josef did not seem impressed. "Are you done?"

Seeing that the bite-sized human refused to leave, the dragon decided that roasting him to death would be a better idea.

Milo peeked from behind the rock and said, "Brother, no!"

Josef didn't even give the beast enough time to take a deep breath, because he tripped the creature with the chain and then used it to tie its legs and snout. "That ought to keep your muzzle shut!"

"You did it?" Milo said while taking a step to the side to get a better view. "You did it! Your traps are amazing, brother!"

Josef pointed at him. "Now come here and slay it with your sword!"

The younger brother looked at the sword strapped to his waist. "Um, right." He ran up to the dragon and unsheathed his weapon. As he closed his eyes and prepared to plunge it into the creature's neck, he heard the sound of rocks that rolled from the ceiling. Then he heard footsteps and he turned around to notice his brother take out an expandable double-headed spear and plant it into the ground right next to him.

"Die, you nosy knights!" the voice of an old woman said.

A giant rock rolled off a ledge toward the two brothers, but Josef's spear stopped it from crushing them.

"It's the darn witch!" Josef said while looking at the woman who ran on the ledge. "So that's where she's been hiding!"

The spear started to give in under the weight of the boulder, so Josef had to act fast. He pushed Milo away and tried to jump to safety as well, but his weapon finally snapped, causing him to get crushed from his legs up to his chest. He reached out for his brother, who was on top of the dragon's head. "Milo … Milo, please … stop the witch, and slay the dragon!"

Milo got back on his feet and ran to Josef's aid. "Brother!" He tried to lift the boulder, but it was too heavy for his weak muscles. "Brother, I can't … I'll get … I'll go get help."

"No, don't. Milo, it's easy. Just get rid of the witch. The dragon's not going anywhere without her help."

"But Josef … you're ..."

Josef pointed toward the interior of the cave and, with his last breath, said, "Go." Then his arm, much like the rest of his body, went limp on the ground.

Milo felt tears starting to form in his eyes, but he held them back and gained a glare as he turned around to chase the witch, who had been hiding behind a rock in the cave. "I'll make you pay dearly for this!" he said, showing his teeth.

The witch ended up running into the dead end of the cave, where her witchcraft table awaited with many metal cups full of concoctions that glowed in various colors and sizzled or bubbled. She grabbed one with a pink substance and threw it at her pursuer, but the liquid narrowly missed him and landed on the ground behind him, making a deep hole in it.

Milo pointed at her. "I was only going to tie you to my brother's horse and drag you through the village. But now I'm _really_ mad!"

The old woman didn't know which potion to throw at him next, so she reached out for an orange one.

"I'll dip you into everything you got on that table!" Milo said as he rushed to tackle her.

The witch stepped aside at the last moment and the young man landed on the table, over all the cups of potions. She threw the orange liquid at him and it reacted with the other concoctions that mixed below him, opening an orange portal that sucked Milo in, making it look as if the table ate him.

He screamed as the portal's harsh medium dissolved his body away, leaving behind only his soul – a cloud that took on the orange color. Then, the portal took his memories.

* * *

 **Metro City: present day.**

The bright sun beamed over the neighborhood that hosted the house where a teenage girl, her uncle, and their two robots resided.

Inside that house, the orange robot sat on the couch with a purple joystick in his hands while using a third arm coming from his hat to feed himself tortilla chips and then help himself drink soda out of a green can. His eyes remained focused on the screen of the monitor in front of him.

The blue robot approached him with a look of disapproval on his face. Then he began to tap his foot on the floor while crossing his arms. "You've been here all afternoon, Fidget. What in the world are you doing?"

"I'm playing. Can't you see?"

"What kind of game is that? Your character's spinning so much I'm amazed you're not complaining that it's making you dizzy."

"It's a MOBA called Legends Make Awesome Offensive. And it _is_ making me dizzy! Now go pester someone else, Digit! I'm in a tournament!"

"Penny said she's taking us outside to play football. Come on! You have been indoors since last week!"

"Robots don't need to go outside," Fidget said before filling his mouth with tortilla chips.

"They don't need to play video games either," Digit said as he shuffled away.

"Just because you don't enjoy playing video games doesn't mean all robots don't!

"Private Digit's right, you need to go outside from time to time."

"You tell him, Lieutenant Gadget!" Digit said and then grinned at the man who just entered the living room.

"Could you people just shut up? I'm trying to concentrate here!" Fidget yelled as he mashed the buttons even more aggressively.

"How rude," Gadget said while shaking his index finger. "Now listen here, private! I need you boys to test the new pool. I've filled it, put the life savers on the edge, and dechlorinated the water."

Fidget showed his metallic fangs and said, "Tell it to someone who cares! I'm busy!"

Gadget frowned at that. Then he got serious and extended his arms to reach both robots and grab them. "Some fresh air will lighten up your mood." Digit made no effort to free himself or complain. Dragging Fidget proved more difficult than he had anticipated, as the orange robot kept grabbing furniture in an attempt to stay inside.

Both robots were thrown into the pool, causing a big splash and then two simultaneous 'thunk!' sounds. Fidget landed on his feet, but Digit landed on his head. The blue floor of the pool cracked a bit.

"There we go!" Gadget said. "Oh, and the pool also has a heating system. You know, just in case you want to swim on a cold day."

"Uncle!" a girl called out.

"Hi, Penny! The pool's ready!"

Penny gasped. "Why did you throw Digit in there? He hates water."

"He'll have to learn to swim eventually," Gadget said.

Digit was already at the edge of the pool, struggling to climb out. "Get me out of here! This is not good for my joints!"

Penny helped him get out, and then she looked at Fidget, who just sat in the water, growling like a dog.

"He looks like he's about to murder someone," Digit said.

Fidget curled his hands into fists. "The tournament! I've lost the blasted tournament!"

"Cheer up, private," Gadget said. "I'll get you all some ice cream and maybe then your temperament will cool down."

Fidget's expression went from furious to sad, but it was a slight improvement of his mood. At least it made Digit stop fearing that his brother was going to snap and do something foolish.

Gadget's right hand started ringing. "Oh, it must be Colonel Nosehair. I wonder what happened this time."

Fidget started glaring and growling again. He knew what that call meant: no ice cream.

Gadget activated his top-secret gadget phone and spoke into his pinky while putting his thumb to his ear. "Hello, Colonel! Anything new came up? Um-hum, I'll be right there, sir!" After stopping his phone, he turned around and said, "No time for soaking, privates! The Colonel has something important to tell us." He wrapped his extended arms around the robots, took them to the soda machine, and then dragged them all the way to the Colonel's room.

The Colonel was not there. Instead, his face appeared on the room's large monitor. "Welcome back, Gadget." He looked pretty worried.

"Good afternoon, sir! Hey, are you okay, Colonel Nosehair?"

"For the love of … I'm not in the mood for this, Gadget."

"Yeah, something's definitely wrong with this picture," Fidget said to Digit. "He's not even arguing about his name being mispronounced."

The Colonel took in a deep breath. "There is no easy way to put this. General Sir passed away this morning."

"Oh, no!" Gadget said before taking his hat off and holding it to his chest. "He was such a nice man ... May he rest in peace."

"I'm afraid he can't rest in peace until this one last mission he gave is done."

Gadget put his hat back on. "He left us a mission? I will take it on with great honor!"

"Alright, listen, Gadget. The people of Greatsword, a little village in Britain, have trouble dealing with a dragon that comes and steals gemstones, copper coils, and sheep."

"Wowzers!" Gadget said. "A real-life dragon?"

"Yes, I find it hard to believe as well," the Colonel said. He showed a photo of the red flying beast, and it looked pretty clear.

Fidget stepped in front of Gadget and got closer to the screen. "Hey, why don't they just send the army there to catch it? Where does all the taxpayers' money go?"

Gadget wrapped his extended right arm around the orange robot and pulled him away. "Be quiet, private, or I'll give you a time out!" He then placed him on top of Colonel Nozzaire's desk. "You'll have to excuse my robot, Colonel. He's been dealing with some anger issues lately."

Fidget stood up on the desk and started jumping in place. "I. Am. Not. Having. Anger. Issues! You. Made. Me. Lose. The. Tournament!"

"Go Go Gadget Duct Tape!" And so, Gadget finally silenced his insubordinate robot.

Colonel Nozzaire cleared his throat and then said, "The reason why they're not sending the army there is because the dragon seems to disappear and reappear randomly, and not even infrared tracking devices could track it down. So, we need you and your skills to solve this mystery with your arsenal of gadgets."

"Understood, sir! But I have one last question before I go: where are you now?"

"I am at General Sir's secret headquarters. There are way too many things I have to take care of, but it's a good thing. I get to stay away from you, for once! Now go and catch that dragon!"

Gadget saluted with his hand and then turned around to check on the Gadgetinis. Fidget finally managed to get rid of the duct tape that covered his mouth and was preparing to complain, but Gadget just wrapped his arm around him and dragged him off the desk. "Save it for later, private Fidget!" Then he looked at Digit. "Are you going to the Gadget Mobile or do I have to drag you there too?"

"It's okay, sir, I'll walk," Digit said and gave his boss a nervous grin.

Outside, Penny came up to her uncle. "Are you guys going on a mission again?"

"Yes, and unfortunately this is the last mission General Sir will ever give me. He passed away."

"Oh, send my condolences to everyone at W.O.M.P.. So, where are you going?"

"To a small village in Britain. We need to catch a teleporting dragon."

Penny flinched at that information, but then regained composure and said, "Uncle, could you take me there too, please? I would love to take photos of the places there. The other girls will be so jealous!"

"Well, I don't know, Penny … I mean there _is_ a dragon involved."

"Pleaaaase, uncle Gadget?"

Gadget couldn't resist those puppy eyes she made. "Alright, hop in the car!"

Digit was already in the vehicle, but Fidget held on to a fire hydrant while Gadget still kept him in the wrap. The orange robot's only concern was, "What about the ice cream?" His hands slipped, and he was finally inside the Gadget Mobile, just as it took off.

 **To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**2\. Blue and Orange**

The Gadget Mobile flew in circles over the Greatsword village as Gadget observed the ground below. Everyone else inside knew what was about to follow, so Penny pulled a quivering Fidget close to her, and Digit had the "Oh crap!" look on his face.

"Aha!" Gadget said. "There's a nice spot! Everybody, prepare for landing!"

"I hate this part," Fidget said with a shaky voice.

Within less than a minute, the vehicle landed – or rather crashed – into a stack of hay bales that was out on a field.

Gadget opened his eyes and then turned his head to his right to see how the others were doing. "How would you rate this landing?"

Penny, whose hair ended up ruffled, said, "I'm just glad we've landed safely." Digit did not want to start an argument with the Lieutenant, so he gave a thumbs up and a smile that did not match his sad eyes. Fidget, on the other hand, decided to be honest: thumbs down.

"I see," Gadget said. "Mixed reviews. Well, there's always room for improvement."

Fidget held a fist in front of himself and said, "Finally! Someone in this family actually listens to me!"

Gadget opened the Gadget Mobile's door and got out, followed by the passengers. Once everyone was outside, he slammed the door shut. "Alright, keep your eyes peeled. If you see a giant, red, scaly lizard, be aware that it just _might_ be a dragon."

"I hope it's nothing more than some animatronic built by some scoundrel," Fidget said as he looked in all possible directions.

Digit scowled. "What difference does it make? If it can fly, destroy stuff, and possibly even blow fire, then it's just as dangerous as the real thing."

"At least robots are predictable."

"And then there's _you_ ," Digit said while pointing at Fidget, barely holding his laughter in.

Fidget was not amused.

"Well, I'm not seeing anything suspicious here," Gadget said. "Let's go ask some villagers if they've witnessed any thefts done by dragons lately."

Digit chuckled. "How does one ask such a question with a straight face?"

"Just watch him," Fidget said before following the Lieutenant.

* * *

An old man with a fuzzy gray mustache steered his horse-drawn cart to deliver his sacks of produce. When he saw a group of people in the middle of the road, he pulled the reins and said, "Whoa!" His gray horse stopped instantly.

"Hello, sir. I am Lieutenant Gadget, agent of W.O.M.P.. May I ask you a few questions?"

The old man smiled. "Sure, just make it quick; the store is waiting for these courgettes."

"Go Go Gadget Interrogation Kit!" A lamp, a microphone, a tape recorder, and a clipboard with a pen clipped to its side popped out of Gadget's hat, each being held by one mechanical hand. "Okay, first question: have you witnessed any thefts done by dragons recently?"

"I haven't seen anything," the old man said. "But I've heard from the news that such robberies took place at the center of our village. I find it hard to believe, and it might be a prank some teens from around here have pulled. The elders of this place are easy to spook. They still fear witches."

"Witches?!" Fidget said, his eyes widening.

Digit grinned calmly. "Pfft, witches. They're just con artists. Nothing magical about that."

"Thank you for your time, sir," Gadget said as he put away his Interrogation Kit. "Alright, gang, we're going to the village's center!"

As they continued their walk, they saw how the villagers managed to mix technology with the simple farm life. They fed and milked their animals by hand, picked up each egg laid in the nests made for their poultry, and got their water from wells. But they also owned phones with touch screens, and some of them drove cars instead of horse carts.

Gadget looked around. "This must be the center. It's full of shops. Let's see … Who do we interrogate next?" He saw an old lady who carried a wooden basket of goods on her left arm. "Hello, madam, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead, sonny," she said.

"Go Go Gadget Interrogation Kit! Now, speak into this microphone! Have you seen any dragons around here?"

"I haven't seen any, but a neighbor of mine said he saw one that carried his sheep in its claws. I hope to God it wasn't a real dragon. I'm worried for my livestock."

"Where can I find this neighbor of yours?"

The woman turned around to look at something in the distance. "At this hour, he usually hangs out with his friends at the bar up ahead. If you hurry, you might find him there."

"Thank you, madam. To the bar, gang!"

Digit pulled Gadget by the coat. "Lieutenant? What about Penny? She's a minor. I don't think they'll allow her to enter the bar."

"It's okay, Digit," Penny said. "I'll wait for you guys outside. Just give me a call if something goes wrong."

"Good plan," Digit said and then followed Gadget and Fidget to the bar.

Three men were discussing at a table inside. The burly one of the trio said, "I'm thinking of putting up an electric net or something. I can't just stand there and watch my flock get thinned."

The skinny man to his right said, "Does electricity even affect dragons?"

"Dragons!" Gadget said as he arrived in a blur at their table and took the fourth seat.

The burly man was taken aback by that. "Who are you?"

"Lieutenant Gadget, here to investigate the case of the thieving dragon."

"Gadget? The former Inspector Gadget? It is an honor to have you on the case! My name is Ivor."

"Pleased to meet you, Ivor. Now, if you don't mind, I'll have to ask you a few questions about the dragon. Go Go Gadg–"

"Lieutenant!" the Gadgetinis shouted.

"What is it, privates?"

Digit ran up to him and said, "Penny saw the dragon! It's robbing a house as we speak!"

"That means it's time for … Operation Dragon Trap!" Gadget said through a smirk.

Penny stood next to the bar's entrance and watched as a nearby wooden house had its roof torn apart by a red dragon. The beast was quadrupedal, had a pair of bat wings on its back, and a long tail that had six spikes on the top of its tip. Behind its head, the dragon had four black horns that gave it a demonic look.

Gadget came out of the bar and immediately said, "Wowzers!"

Digit stared wide-eyed while his jaw dropped.

Fidget was about to step outside, but then said, "You know what? I don't want to see."

"Come back here and see, you coward!" Digit said as he wrapped his extended arms around his brother and dragged him out.

There was a man screaming inside the house. That was when Gadget realized things were getting serious. "Go Go Gadget 'Copter!" The blades came out of his hat and started spinning, allowing him to lift off and fly toward the dragon.

"We better go too," Digit said as he summoned his own rotor.

Fidget started to quiver. "W-what if it burns us to death?"

Digit took off and turned to face his brother. "We're robots! We don't have any skin to get burned. Besides, the dragon doesn't seem to give off more heat than your average campfire, according to my infrared vision."

Unable to come up with any other excuses, Fidget finally got his rotor out and flew after Digit. Before reaching the house, he looked to his right and noticed another dragon, much bigger than the other one, but with a longer tail without spikes on it. Its wings had holes and tears near their margins. He squinted a bit to see what that dragon carried on its back. "A human?" He activated his binoculars to get a better view. "A M.A.D. Agent!" Sounds of wood being destroyed distracted him, and when he turned around he saw the smaller dragon smash the remaining walls of the house using the spikes on its tail.

Gadget managed to take the dragon's hostage out of the house and dropped him off near the bar. Then he flew back toward the beast and said, "Attention, dragon! You are under arrest for theft and destruction of private property! Go Go Gadget Lasso!"

The dragon just let out a puff of smoke and then opened its toothy mouth.

Digit, who was still monitoring the temperature of the dragon, saw the heat begin to build up inside the giant lizard. "I did not anticipate this!"

Fire came out of the dragon's mouth and burned Gadget's rope, then hit the Gadgetinis, pushing them away and causing them to crash into the bar.

"I think my motherboard is overheating," a blackened Digit said while looking wasted on the bar floor. "I better shut down for a bit." Then he closed his eyes and went limp.

Fidget, who was covered in soot as well, rolled on the floor and gritted his teeth while rubbing his arms. "Ice! I need ice! I'm burning to death here!"

One man poured his drink, which had two ice cubes, over Fidget.

The orange robot continued to roll. "Still not cooled enough, but thanks for trying, sir. Ouch! This hurts so much! Ow! Water! I need some cold water!"

Penny poured a bucket of water over Fidget and Digit, removing all their soot. "There. Feeling better now?"

Fidget got up and shook the water off. "Phew! Thanks! I thought I was going to get cooked alive."

Digit booted himself up and overheard that. "You can't get cooked alive! You're a robot!"

Fidget rubbed his elbows. "Then why is my skin sore?"

Digit shook his head and said, "It's just an error in your programming, it makes you think you can feel that. It's like being a hypochondriac."

"But I really _do_ feel it! You always doubt me! 'Robots can't smell, Fidget.' 'Robots don't feel pain, Fidget.' 'You don't have a heart, Fidget.' 'You can't eat that whole cake, Fidget.' "

"About that last bit: if you were a human, you'd be dealing with diabetes by now," Digit said.

"I might even have it!" Fidget said. "I can't know, because robots don't receive healthcare."

Penny grabbed each of them by an arm and brought them outside again. "We need to save my uncle! There are _three_ dragons now!"

The largest of the dragons approached Gadget, whose 'Copter got destroyed during the fight and could no longer lift him. The creature smelled him and then started walking backwards while making sharp roars and expanding its tattered wings.

"You're not getting away that easily, dragon!" Gadget said.

"Kill him!" the M.A.D. Agent said while pointing a remote toward one of the two smaller dragons and pressing a button on it.

The younger creature came from behind Gadget and snapped its jaws at him. Penny and the Gadgetinis closed their eyes, but then heard, "Go Go Gadget Coat!" When they opened their eyes, they saw the dragon struggle to munch on the inflated coat that kept Gadget safe from the sharp teeth.

"Boy, that was close," Digit said. "Good thing he thought about upgrading it."

Penny elbowed him. "Do something!"

Digit nodded. "Right." Then he summoned his mini arsenal of missiles and a laser cannon from his right arm. "Prepare to get a taste of your own medicine, dragon!" He shot all he had at the beast, and it was enough to make it drop the Lieutenant, but not enough to leave a mark on its face. "What is its skin made of? Titanium?"

Fidget began to grind his teeth and shake. "Skin? S-so it's not a robot."

Gadget got up and said, "This isn't working. It's time for Operation Dragon Slaying!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Fidget said while slapping his forehead.

"This is taking too long," the man on the back of the dragon said. "I better take these dragons out of here before Gadget ruins Doctor Claw's plans again." He used the remote and activated an audio signal that caused the dragons to prepare for taking off.

"Not so fast!" Gadget said while grabbing the tail of the largest dragon. The beast flew and carried him away.

"Oh no!" Penny said. "Fidget! Digit! Team up and take me up there, now!"

The Gadgetinis brought out their rotors and wrapped Penny with their extended arms so they could carry her. It seemed as if they were in for a normal air chase until they saw three blue vortexes in front of the dragons.

"Penny? What are those things?"

"I don't know, Digit. I can only suspect they're some kind of … portals."

Each dragon entered one of the vortexes. The Gadgetinis took Penny through the middle one before it closed. They found themselves transported through a tube of what appeared to be plasma. At the other end of the strange blue tunnel, three men working for Doctor Claw cornered Gadget while keeping their guns pointed at him.

Penny's eyes went wide. "Oh, no! Guys! You need to stop those M.A.D. Agents before they shoot my uncle!"

"We've got just the thing," Digit said.

As soon as they left the tunnel, the Gadgetinis unwrapped their arms from around Penny and used them to launch nets at the bad guys. The capture went smoothly, but the Agents had another trick up their sleeve.

"You may have disarmed us, but you can't save the world," one of the thugs said.

Gadget had the most serious expression Penny had ever seen on his face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Doctor Claw has a backup plan. He knew you'd be snooping around trying to ruin everything. In a few moments, all continents will experience a plague like no other. Everyone will submit to Doctor Claw! Even you!"

"Plague?" Fidget said. He then turned to his left to witness a room filled with about thirty dragons the same size as the other two that accompanied the biggest one. "Do me a favor and melt me to a puddle before the Claw regime takes over."

"That can be arranged," the M.A.D. Agent said before pressing a button on the remote. "We'll make a barbecue out of all of you!"

The biggest dragon prepared a fireball in its throat, but then Gadget had an idea. "Go Go Gadget Anchor!" He threw the anchor over the dragon's snout and its chain wrapped around it, shutting its mouth and causing its fire to blow to the sides, setting all three M.A.D. Agents ablaze. The thugs ran away trying to extinguish the flames. The entire flock of dragons followed them and left Gadget and his crew in the room.

"How are we going to stop so many dragons?"

"I don't know, Penny," Digit said. "At this point I think it's too late for us to do anything."

Fidget sighed. "If only we could turn back the time ..."

Digit had an epiphany. "Wait. That's exactly what we need to do!" He turned around and noticed the pentagonal wooden table that had a strange machine underneath it. "Remember that time machine we dealt with about a year ago? I didn't tell anyone, but before it got destroyed, I've scanned it. You know, just to understand how it works. It actually allowed travel through not only time, but space as well. This machine here could easily be converted into a time machine if we make it bend space in such a way that it starts affecting time."

Penny put her hand on the blue robot's left shoulder. "Well then, convert it, Digit! We haven't got much time!"

"I'm on it!" Digit said as he brought four soldering irons out of his hat and turned his index finger into a screwdriver. Then he began to mess with the machine.

Fidget noticed a skeleton that was seated on a rotten wooden chair next to the table. He didn't quite understand why he felt disgusted by it. After all, it was just a pile of bones. It wasn't the kind of disgust he felt while tasting that _thing_ the Lieutenant cooked one night. It felt as if the very being that once possessed that skeleton repulsed him. And then he snapped.

Penny watched the orange robot tackle the remains. "Fidget! What are you doing?!"

The bones were crushed upon contact with Fidget's metal fists. He continued to beat them until there was only a fine powder left beneath the chair through which he had punched a hole. "This is for what you did to my brother!"

Digit stopped working on the machine and yelled, "Fidget! I'm okay! Nothing happened to me!"

Penny pulled Fidget away from the powder he kept kicking. "What is going on with you today? You're acting like your programming got scrambled!"

"I … I don't know. Maybe a witch put a curse on me."

Digit resumed working and said, "Witches aren't real! They're just con artists!"

Fidget put his hands on his hips and said, "Just like ghosts aren't real, right, Digit?"

Digit grinned sheepishly at him. "Hey, I can't always be right!"

Penny got between them. "Any progress on the time machine?"

"Almost done. I just need to reverse these two wires and … done!"

"Great job, private!" Gadget said. "Now we can go back in time to save the world!" He looked at the machinery's bright green button. "I guess this must be how you turn it on." His index finger merely touched the button, and the machine whirred to life.

Digit put his hands over his hat in panic. "No, Lieutenant! I haven't set the date yet!"

The table's top gained an orange vortex that started to pull the entire family toward it. Fidget tried to wrap his arms around everyone to pull them to safety, but there was nothing nearby to anchor himself to. In the end, the new portal swallowed them all, along with every movable rock from the cave.

 **To be continued.**


	3. Chapter 3

**3\. Past and Future**

Fidget woke up suspended in an unknown, glowing orange substance where rocks orbited around him. When he looked up he saw all the members of his family unconscious and drifting aimlessly. He knew he had to do something fast, otherwise he could lose them all.

There was nothing within his reach to grab on to in order to move away from his current location. All he managed to do was wrap his arms around everyone and bring them closer. "How will I find a way out of here when everything's just a monochromatic mess? I've got nothing to guide me, not even a map." After staring at the rocks for a bit, he said, "If I could somehow tell this machine where to take me … If I could just think of a time ..."

He searched deep within his memory banks, but then something else came up. Something that was not digitally recorded, yet it felt real. Those moments of happiness, the smell of burning wood, and ... the glitter of gold. Something inside him started shaking.

A swirl formed in front of him, and he felt as if he had been grabbed by the chest and was being pulled into the vortex. At that point, he had no other options, so he trusted whatever it was and hoped it would take him and his family out of there. Within mere seconds, the vortex swallowed them all.

* * *

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

The golden sword shone sharply as Milo received it from Josef at their blacksmith forge on the corner of their house.

"The gold in this weapon has been enchanted by the great Merlin himself," Josef said. "Take good care of it!"

Milo smiled. "Thank you, brother!"

The sound of something heavy being dropped on the ground startled the two siblings.

Milo stared in the direction of the noise's source. "What was that?"

Josef shrugged. "Must have been some moonshiner's barrel exploding."

"Dang! I hope nobody got hurt."

"Well, it's none of our business. Let's go to the inn and celebrate your 16th birthday!"

As the brothers left their house, behind it the Gadget family was scattered over the dirt of the ground. When Fidget opened his eyes, he could have sworn that his body seemed semitransparent for half a second before it went fully opaque. As he kept staring at his left hand, he heard Penny groan, so he turned his head around to see if she was alright.

Penny pushed her body's top half off the ground and took in the surroundings. "Where are we? What happened to the village?"

"Nothing happened to it," Fidget said as he dusted himself off.

"What do you mean? Greatsword looked completely different before … Actually, what happened to _us_?"

"We're in the past, Penny. How far back, I'm not sure. I had to take us somewhere, anywhere, before we all died in that portal."

Penny stared at him in disbelief. "How exactly did you manage to get us out of there?"

Fidget scratched the back of his head. "I just wished for it."

"Why would a machine be commanded through a wish?"

"I don't know, but it's what my instinct told me to do."

"Robots don't have instincts!" Digit said from behind them.

"There he goes again correcting me," Fidget said while his eyelids covered half of his eyes.

"It sent us in the past, but it's so far into the past that we won't be able to do anything to save the future. We'll have to find the portal to go back and try again."

Penny turned to look at the blue robot. "How do we find the portal, Digit?"

"Well, I've programmed the time machine to form a retrieval portal in about the same location it is positioned in the future. So it should be in or near the cave. Don't worry, I've taken into account the movement of the Earth through the universe in the calculations."

"Doctor Claw, you are under arrest!" Gadget said, distracting everyone.

Penny smiled at him. "Oh, you're finally awake, uncle!"

"What happened? Why was I sleeping on the ground? Have I been drinking too much again?"

"No," Digit said, "thank goodness. We have been teleported to the middle ages, from what I can see. We need to find the portal and return to our time so that we can go back to the time just before Doctor Claw discovered those dragons."

"That's a great idea, private! But first, let's go grab a bite!"

"We're in the middle ages! The food around here is probably full of nasty stuff. And we still need to save the world."

"Can't do that on an empty stomach," Gadget said.

"Oh boy ..." Digit said. "Good thing it doesn't matter how much time we spend in the past."

* * *

 **Metro City: the future.**

Colonel Nozzaire was at his desk, sorting some files, when he received a call on his phone. He picked it up. "Hello? Yes? They are? Oh no!" His face turned increasingly pale the more he heard from the caller. "But how am I going to fight a dragon?" He swallowed audibly. "Deal with it? But sir, I … Well, Gadget has not reported anything yet. I don't even know if he's still alive, and judging by the dragon invasion going on around the world right now ..." He began to quiver. "Yes, sir. I know. Yes, sir. I'll try, sir. I will." After the conversation ended, he put the phone down and then got up from his desk.

The eldest of the dragons flew circles above the W.O.M.P. headquarters. It took in a deep breath, and then started to blow fire on the skyscraper.

Miss Miffet, the W.O.M.P. secretary, thought an earthquake was the cause of the building's shaking, so she dropped to the floor next to her desk and screamed while covering her head. Colonel Nozzaire slammed the door open and ran to her aid.

"We must get out of the building!" the Colonel said. "A dragon is trying to roast us all!" He grabbed Miss Miffet by the hand and made her leave with him. He took her to a tunnel that was hidden behind the cupboard in his office and told her, "Go through here and don't stop until you've reached the bunker! I'm going back to save the rest of the employees."

"Thank you, Colonel!" Miss Miffet said before crawling into the tunnel.

* * *

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

"What do you mean you only accept gold?" Gadget said while staring at the inn's owner.

"I do not know what those things you're trying to barter with are, but I'm sure nobody around here wants them," the owner said. "You want to buy food, pay in gold!"

"Uh, Lieutenant?" Fidget said while pulling Gadget's coat. "We're in the middle ages. These people have no idea what fiat money is. In fact, I don't think paper even existed during these times."

"I see," Gadget said while putting his money back in his coat's inner pocket. "Hmm … I just remembered I have some of those Gold Buffalo coins somewhere in my coin collection." He took a box of coins from his other inner pocket. "I was planning on selling them off online, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I don't think it's going to work," Digit said.

"All I have are these six coins. Oh, and since you people could use some technology, I'll throw in this solar-powered calculator."

The innkeeper stared at the gray device in Gadget's hand. "I'm not sure if those coins are made of real gold, but what does that calculator thing do?"

"Why, it calculates stuff, of course! One plus one equals two, see? And you see this thing above the screen? That is a miniature solar panel. When the calculator doesn't seem to be working, you just put it outside in sunlight for for half an hour, and its batteries will recharge. Then you can use it again."

"Are those Arabic numerals?"

"Yes," Gadget said. "They may look a little odd on this here screen, but I think you'll get used to it."

The innkeeper said, "It's a deal! You'll get your pork leg and hedgehog roasts in exchange for the calculator and the coins." Then he went to tell his wife and daughters the order his client had placed.

Meanwhile, at a table somewhere near a wall in the inn, Josef and Milo were enjoying their dinner. The big brother chomped down on a pork leg roast while the younger one picked and ate small pieces from a roasted, perfectly cleaned hedgehog. They also took swings from their mugs of ale from time to time.

* * *

 **Metro City: the future.**

At W.O.M.P. headquarters, the bespectacled guy who usually managed some files and used the water cooler ended up underneath said dispenser. His head hurt badly after his fall. The last person he saw before he blacked out was Colonel Nozzaire, who pushed the machine off him.

The dragon sat atop the building, whacking it with its tail. All the windows had been melted, the walls had been cracked, and it was only a matter of time before the W.O.M.P. headquarters would be brought to the ground.

Helicopters could not approach the beast, because it blew fireballs at them every time they got too close to the skyscraper. The military could not use its tanks out of fear that there might still be people inside the headquarters, but the vehicles were brought in the area just in case things got out of hand.

* * *

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

Digit sat at the table, arms crossed and scowling, while everyone else enjoyed their meals.

"Come on, Digit, this food is great!" Fidget said, offering his brother a roasted hedgehog leg.

"Hedgehogs are an endangered species!"

Fidget shook his head. "Not during these times." Then he ate the leg whole.

"Terrible," Digit said.

Gadget cut a piece of his food and took it with a fork, then showed it to the blue robot. "How about some pork?"

"Ugh, no thanks, Lieutenant. Too greasy and prepared by people who have no idea about proper sanitation."

"Well, you're a robot. That shouldn't matter to you," Penny said. Then she continued to eat her piece of pork.

"Doesn't mean I can't be disgusted," Digit said.

Fidget poked him in the shoulder with another hedgehog leg. "Robots can't be disgusted."

Digit pointed at it. "Eat that thing or I'll throw it down a toilet!"

"Speaking of toilet," Penny said, "I have to go find the restroom. I'll be right back. Behave yourselves while I'm gone!" Then she left the table.

* * *

 **Metro City: the future.**

The news showed videos of France being invaded by dragons, one of which managed to melt the Eiffel Tower to the ground. The news lady said, "Doctor Claw is threatening to order his dragons to eat civilians if we do not swear loyalty to him. He has already convinced Canada to surrender, and Australia is putting up a fight, but they seem to be no match for the dragons' fire."

A W.O.M.P. guard watched all that on his phone while he waited surrounded by debris for help to arrive. Then he heard the sounds of digging.

"Where is Gadget when you need him?" Colonel Nozzaire said as he removed the fallen pieces of ceiling from the pile. "Doctor Claw is enslaving countries, and Gadget's giving no sign of life. I guess General Sir made a huge mistake by giving him this last mission." After removing one more large piece, he found the guard. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," the guard said. "I only have a few scratches on my left leg; nothing too serious."

"Alright, come with me! I'll have to check the other rooms. After that, I'll take you and any other survivors to the secret tunnel."

* * *

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

When Penny came out of the latrine room, she ran into Milo, who stared at her and said, "Those are some fine clothes, my lady! I have never seen anyone wear something so outstanding!"

"Aww, thanks!" Penny said and then smiled.

"Where did you get them from?"

"My uncle gave them to me as a present on my 12th birthday, but I don't really know which store he bought them from."

"Oh, nice!" Milo said. "My brother made this sword for me, for my 16th birthday." He unsheathed his sword to show it off.

Fidget noticed the light bounce off the golden weapon and decided to get a closer look at it and the guy Penny was talking to. He also noticed that Penny was smiling and being a bit too friendly with the stranger, and something about that worried him a little.

"By the way, I'm Penny, what's your name?"

"Milo. But one day, I'll be known as Knight Milo, and I'll be sitting at the Round Table!"

"Oh, you're training to become a knight? Can I be your damsel in distress?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

"Sure, I'd slay dragons for a beautiful damsel such as you!" Milo said and then grinned.

Fidget was stopped in his tracks the moment his body started turning semitransparent. "What's going on here?" He looked at his arms. "Holy … This is exactly like that time Doctor Claw tried to break up the Lieutenant's parents!" He tried to run toward Penny to warn her, but the closer he got, the more he felt a force push him back while causing him to feel pain in his entire body. After taking three steps back, he noticed that he was regaining opacity and that the pushing stopped. "But why?" Then he noticed something odd about the teenager Penny was talking to. He used his binoculars to get a better view, and then his jaw dropped while he gasped.

"You should meet my uncle and my Gadgetinis," Penny said.

Milo's smile became a straightened mouth as he stared at her. "Your what?"

"Penny!" Fidget yelled while waving his arms. "Come over for a sec, we need to talk about something!"

Penny looked at him and then at her new acquaintance. "Please excuse me for a bit, Milo. I have to see what he wants."

"Sure, I'll just go to the latrine and then I'll be back here," Milo said.

Within mere seconds, Penny was next to Fidget. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

Fidget gave her a slightly nasty look while saying, "I hate to break this to you, but you were flirting with me."

"What?!" Penny said while staring at him in shock.

Fidget looked at the ground. "Now I understand. I understand everything. I … I was never a robot. I was … I was once human."

"You aren't making any sense, Fidget! You cannot be a human! I've programmed you! I may have made a few mistakes here and there in your code, but you were meant to be rational!"

"Penny, just listen to me!" Fidget said while putting his hands in front, signaling to her to calm down. "First, watch this!" He ran toward the latrine room. His body turned semitransparent when he got close enough. "I cannot approach him."

"Okay, but that isn't enough proof that you are–"

"Second, go ahead and ask him if his brother invents crazy contraptions! Ask him if that sword is made of gold enchanted by a wizard! Ask him … if he has a donkey called Sir Heehawlot!"

Penny didn't know what to say. She could ask those questions, but she didn't want to seem like she was crazy in case the answer to the first question was "No."

Fidget noticed the disbelief in her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that? You think I'm malfunctioning, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Fidget, but I just can't ask him that. If you're wrong, then he'll think I'm the village nut."

"Alright, I've got an idea. I'll talk to him through your video communicator," Fidget said as he extended the device that looked like a part of his collar. "Just my luck. I can't contact you because there is no technology here to distribute the signal!" Defeated, he sat on the floor and pouted.

"Hey, Fidget, don't be sad, I'll try to find a way to get some more information out of him. Though if what you're saying turns out to be true, things are going to be very awkward between us three ..."

Fidget cringed at that last thought. He felt the hedgehog dinner was making its way back up too.

* * *

 **Metro City: the future.**

Colonel Nozzaire managed to save three more men and left them at the tunnel's entrance. He rushed back to the top side of the headquarters to search for one last person not accounted for: Chief Quimby.

After searching all over the building, including General Sir's old office, he found the Chief in the server room, unconscious, with his lower half underneath a pile of servers that had crashed over him. The Colonel took the machines off the old man and shook him. "Chief Quimby! Can you hear me?"

Quimby opened his eyes. "Who? Wha'?" He looked at Colonel Nozzaire. "What happened here?"

The room trembled and the ceiling started to crumble above the two men. The Colonel pushed Quimby out of the way and took the falling debris onto himself.

Instead of limping away to safety with his good leg, Quimby stared at the tall pile of concrete in the room. Then he yelled, "Colonel Nozzaire!"

 **To be continued.**


	4. Chapter 4

**4\. Human and Robot**

 **Greatsword village, Britain: 525 AD.**

Penny brought Milo to meet her uncle and Digit. Fidget kept a five meter distance from him and just lurked around, glaring daggers at the young man.

"This is my uncle Gadget," Penny said. "Uncle, this is Milo, I just met him in the inn."

"Hello there, Milo!" Gadget said while extending his neck to get a closer look at the guy.

Milo looked like he had just seen a ghost. "W-what is he?"

Penny told him, "He's a cyborg, which is … How can I explain it in older terms? A human mixed with metal tools."

"A-and that other fellow? Is he a cyborg too?"

Penny patted Digit on the hat. "No, Digit is a robot. He is made almost entirely out of metal, but he can do almost everything a human can do."

"That's right," Digit said while winking. Then he smiled.

"Oh, that's wonderful! How did you do this? With magic? Do you know Merlin? He was the wizard who enchanted my sword!"

At that moment, it dawned on Penny that Fidget might actually be right about Milo. She wanted to ask the other two questions that would pretty much confirm the assumption, but she owed Milo two answers at the moment. She said, "It's not magic, it's actually technology. It's how you use metal and electricity and a few other materials to create something called a machine. We haven't met Merlin, although it would be nice to meet him."

Milo squinted his eyes at her. "You people aren't from around here, are you? You've got strange clothes and this method of making metal talk and act like a human. It's unbelievable!"

"To be honest," Digit said, "we're from the future."

Milo stared at him. "The future?! How can that be possible?"

The blue robot grinned, then said. "Technology. It's the answer to everything."

"Strange," Milo said, "so you people are from another world where this technology thing is everywhere, if I understand right."

"Not another world, just another time. We used to live a couple of thousand years later than you."

"That sounds pretty complicated. Digit, is that orange fellow a robot like you?"

Digit looked in the orange robot's direction, and then back at Milo. "Yeah, he's my brother. His name is Fidget. I don't understand why he is avoiding you, though."

Fidget waved at Digit. "Psst!"

"I'll go see what he wants," Digit said before going to his brother.

"Who are your new friends, Milo?" Josef said as he approached the group.

"Oh, they're some people from the future. She's Penny, and he's her uncle Gadget, and um … those two over there are their robots named Digit and Fidget."

Josef looked at the Gadgetinis. "Lovely contraptions! I want to see them up close!" He ran up to them to touch their hats, much to the robots' annoyance.

Milo turned to Penny and said, "He's my brother. His name is Josef Tōl . He loves intricate metal stuff."

Fidget got fed up with being poked by Josef, who looked like a younger and slightly taller Gadget. He slapped the guy's hand away and said, "Josef, I am your younger–"

Josef picked Fidget up with ease and stared into the little robot's black eyes. "Aren't you a cute little thing?"

Fidget started squirming. "Put me down!"

Josef ignored his order. "Hey, you're like pets made of metal, huh?"

Digit laughed at the sight of his brother being held by Josef and flapping his hands wildly.

Then Josef did something that calmed Fidget. He held him in his arms, almost as if cradling a baby. "For some reason, you remind me of Milo when he was just a little infant."

Before Fidget could say anything, Josef dropped him on the floor and said, "Oh, I shouldn't be ignoring the others." Then he went to shake Gadget's hand. "Wonders! You look almost like me! Are you my distant cousin or something?"

"Wowzers! You look like you're my distant cousin too!" Gadget said.

Meanwhile, Fidget was telling Digit, "I need to communicate with Milo somehow. Can you be the messenger?"

"Sure. What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him to stop flirting with Penny, otherwise he's going to end up kind of like Oedipus."

Digit furrowed his eyebrows. "Hold on a second! Are you trying to subtly call the guy a motherfu–"

"No, Digit! You don't get it! I used to be him!"

"Yeah, you're going haywire, bro."

Fidget stomped his foot. "Tell him to stop!"

"I've changed my mind," Digit said. "I'm not going to play the messenger. This is getting ridiculous."

Fidget crossed his arms. "Great. I can't rely on any of you."

Gadget was showing off his gadgets and extendable limbs while Josef was priding himself in having crafted the multiple mini weapons he carried, including what seemed to be a shuriken launcher.

"Hey, Milo, I've got a request for you," Penny said. "Could you let me test something with your sword, please?"

Milo shook his head. "I don't know you enough to trust you with it, so I'm not lending it to you at this time."

"How about giving it to your brother then, so he could help with the test? I need to know why Fidget cannot approach you. It might have something to do with the magic in your sword."

"Hmm, that can be done," Milo said. He interrupted Josef's bragging. "Brother, could you take this sword near the orange robot, please?"

"Sure," Josef said while taking the weapon. He brought it near the Gadgetini until it was mere centimeters from touching the robot's body.

"I feel something weird in my chest," Fidget said. "It's like a swarm of bees is buzzing to get out of me."

Digit raised an eyebrow at the whole scene, not understanding what was going on. Then he saw his brother faint, so he jumped to stop his fall. He caught him just in time. "Josef! Take that thing away! It's obviously hurting him!"

Josef shrugged and took the sword away. "I guess Milo was trying to fool him or something."

Digit shook the orange robot's limp body. "Fidget! Speak to me, brother!"

Fidget regained consciousness and said, "I just felt like my head was full of static for a second."

Penny took mental notes of the effects and then said, "Milo, for the next test, could you approach Fidget without your sword, please?"

Milo nodded. "Sure can, my lady!" Then he started walking toward the Gadgetinis. The closer he got, the more faded and restless Fidget became, to the point where he jumped out of Digit's arms and shouted at Milo to stop. Milo started to fade away too, but he was too focused on the orange robot to notice.

"I see," Penny said. "Come back, now!"

Milo came back to her. "Why is this happening? Did some witch put a curse on us? I felt strange while walking toward him."

"Just tell him already!" Fidget said.

The entrance door of the inn had been kicked in by a man who shouted, "A dragon is burning the village!"

"A dragon!" Gadget and Josef said at the same time.

"D-dragon?" Fidget said as he hid behind Digit and quivered.

"Dragon!" Milo said, hiding behind Penny.

At that point Fidget was distracted enough to bare his teeth at Milo for being too close to his mother again.

"Come on, gang! It's time to arrest that dragon!" Gadget said while pointing at the exit.

"Arrest? We _slay_ dragons around here!" Josef said while grabbing his golden flail off the table.

Gadget shrugged. "Alright, slaying works too."

Josef threw the sword at Milo's feet and told him, "Come on, brother! Today you'll slay your first dragon!"

Milo took the sword and peeked from behind Penny. "K-kind of early for that trial, don't you think?"

"Get away. Get away. Get away from her, just get away," Fidget kept chanting, but only Digit could hear him.

Gadget wrapped his left arm around his family and Milo, and then followed Josef to the dragon while dragging them with him.

Five wooden houses nearby were on fire, and a giant red dragon walked among them. It ate the roasted sheep and cattle left behind by its scorching spree. Its long tail smacked an intact house, causing it to collapse.

Gadget gasped. "Wowzers! Were there people in those houses?"

"If there were, I don't think they are among us anymore," Josef said. "This is why us knights slay dragons. These savage beasts care not about anyone other than their own kin, and there is no way to reason with them."

"Well, in that case, it's time to bring out the big guns," Gadget said. "Go Go Gadget Defensive Procedure!"

"Those are like the missiles he used on the moon!" Fidget said.

Digit stared at Gadget in shock. "But is he still capable of using them responsibly?"

Josef stared at the huge amount of weapons on Gadget. "What are those, my good man?"

"Missiles and laser cannons," Gadget said. "Watch this!" The weaponry was all fired at the dragon, sending the beast tumbling over several houses.

"Aah! Our neighbors' houses!" Fidget said.

Milo reacted just as horrified. "Our neighbours might have been in there!"

"We need to get rid of the dragon, not help it cause more destruction!" Josef said to Gadget. "Stand back and let me handle this!" He went to his house to equip his armor and returned riding his white horse, which was equally prepared for battle, wearing its own armor.

"He brought Sorrowsweet with him!" Fidget said.

Digit gave him a weird look. "Who?"

"Josef's trusty mare!"

"A horse can't possibly do anything to help in such a situation!" Digit said.

Fidget smiled as he watched Josef ride in circles around the confused dragon. Then the knight took out his latest weapon, which was made of a chain led by a heavy iron weight, and threw it at the dragon's head, wrapping the chain around its snout. The beast could no longer blow fire, so it chose to thrash about in an effort to escape. It managed to pull Josef off his horse and drag him.

"Alright, that kind of worked," Digit said, "but how is he going to deal with this?"

Josef took out the shuriken launcher and used it to shoot a shuriken at the dragon's neck. Unfortunately, the dragon moved quick enough to parry it with its right wing. Just as Josef tried to equip another shuriken, the dragon spread its wings and took off, taking the knight with it.

"Brother!" Milo yelled as he chased after the dragon.

"Go Go Gadget 'Copter!" Gadget said. Nothing happened. "I said 'Go Go Gadget 'Copter!' " Still nothing. "Must be too broken to function. Well then, Go Go Gadget Super Booster Rocket!" A purple rocket appeared on his back and extended two handles out of itself so he could guide it. He took off and headed after the dragon.

"We must follow them!" Penny said. "We'll have to take Milo with us somehow."

Fidget grumbled something while glaring at Milo.

Penny pointed at Digit, "You! Carry Milo! Fidget, you carry me!"

Fidget said, "But we'll be getting there much slower than if we would leave Milo behind!"

Penny scowled at him. "Fidget! His brother is being taken away by a dragon! He has every right to be on this mission!"

Fidget sighed. "You're right. I know he cares about his brother a lot. After all, I've actually walked in his shoes before." He summoned his rotor and picked Penny up, letting Digit carry Milo.

The flames continued to scorch the village, which had been evacuated rapidly to avoid any further loss of human lives.

* * *

 **London, England: the future.**

The Elizabeth Tower – which many people often miscall Big Ben – was illuminated bright red as the city was on fire. Two dragons flew circles in the sky, awaiting orders from their master.

Doctor Claw watched this on his monitor and said, "Nobody can stop me now! Ha ha ha!" His M.A.D. Cat gave a malefic but joyful meow while he petted it. "They cannot remove the portal devices from inside the dragons' heads. The army's weapons are useless against what they cannot catch. And best of all, Gadget seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth! I would too if I were such a disgrace! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

* * *

 **Greatsword village,** **Britain: 525 AD.**

Gadget ended up caught in a barren tree while his rocket made a crater in the ground nearby. "Wowzers! That was close!"

Fifty meters away, Josef was hanging upside-down from a similar tree, wrapped up by his own weapon's chain and swinging like a pendulum. "I'm still alive! It's a miracle!"

Fidget landed with Penny, then went to help Josef get down. He replaced his right hand with a mini chainsaw and cut the chains, then the knight landed over him.

"Thank you, Fidget!" Josef said.

Fidget crawled from underneath him. "No problem brother. Er, I mean Josef." Then he felt a jolt of electricity in his chest as he started turning semitransparent again. He turned around to realize Milo was heading toward Josef, so he just flew away with his rotor to avoid getting erased.

"Josef! I'm so glad you survived!" Milo said, hugging his brother.

"I've been through worse. Now let's catch up with the beast. It went toward that mountain." Josef pointed at the place, and then started walking in its direction.

Milo took his sword out and said, "Well, Penny, I guess you might witness my first ever dragon slaying. If we get to capture it, that is."

"Just be careful, Milo!" she said.

Milo took an attack pose with his sword and smirked at her. "I'll do my best!"

Fidget whispered to Digit, "I can't trust the guy. He's going too far, showing off like that. He's supposed to be a coward, like me!"

"Aw, come on, bro! Aren't they cute together?" Digit said.

"Have you been paying any attention to what I've been telling you? I used to be him! I know how he thinks! His idea of a date involves a stable and a pile of hay!"

Digit snickered at that. "So that's how you think too."

"What?! No! The person I am today has nothing in common with him!"

"Except being a glutton," Digit said.

Fidget pushed him from the side. "I heard that!" He then looked at the teenagers in front of him. "Penny!"

She heard him and then said, "Excuse me, Milo. Fidget wants something." She went near the Gadgetinis and was not at all surprised to see a sulking Fidget. "Hey, what's up?"

"You know very well what's up," Fidget said, looking away from her.

"Don't worry, I believe you now. It's just that I don't know how to explain it to him."

Fidget pointed at her while giving her a dirty look. "You just don't want to. Admit it!"

"Well, yeah … I don't want to make things even more awkward. Anyway, I think I know why you're suffering strange problems whenever he approaches you, but also why you became who you are today."

"I know why I start fading out whenever he is near, and it seems to be doing the same to him. We can't get too close, otherwise we'd get annihilated by the time feedback loop. But what's up with the sword? It isn't part of my body."

Penny pointed at Fidget's chest and said, "Could you open up your motherboard compartment, please?" After the Gadgetini followed her order, she pointed at the biggest microchip he had on the motherboard. "See that black square thing? It contains some gold inside. That gold may have been part of the sword. That microchip contains your personality and your hardware instructions. I guess it is safe to say it also contains your soul, which has somehow been bound to the sword after you died."

"Died? I was torn apart in a portal! I don't even know how I ended up in that sword. I kind of … forgot everything and woke up in this body, and ..."

"Now this explains everything!" Digit said while putting himself between Fidget and Penny. "That's why you were capable of walking without any help from the first minute of being activated, while I stumbled for half an hour! That's why you sought food like it came naturally to you! That's … also why you could understand Penny's feelings better. You were there for her when she was sad, while all I could do was tell her to suck it up. You were a better person than me, simply because you actually were a person and I was not."

Fidget patted him on the back. "Digit, I ..."

"You were always telling the truth, and I didn't believe it. I've been a horrible brother. It's no wonder you care more about Josef than about me."

"No, I just don't want to see him hurt again!" Fidget said. "He was taken away from me by a blasted witch who dropped a giant rock on him! I saw him die, Digit! Do you at least have a general idea of what that feels like?"

Digit had a miserable look on his face as he stared at the ground. "I think I felt something like that when I thought I was about to lose you. That time the Robo-Sasquatch crushed you … it made me wonder what I'd do if you'd be gone for good."

"Well then, help me save him before he dies again!" Fidget said, bringing his rotor out and flying toward the mountain.

Digit summoned his own helicopter blades and took off after him. "Hold on! We don't stand a chance against the dragon!"

"Digit! Fidget! Don't you dare!" Penny shouted. But they ignored her.

* * *

The dragon drank from a lake in the forest, so it didn't notice the Gadgetinis, who were sneaking past it. This allowed them to reach the mountain and find the cave where the witch lived.

"Alright," Fidget said to Digit, "The witch will be waiting for anyone to enter her cave, and she'll be somewhere to our right. There is this giant boulder there. We need to sneak up on her, so we'll have to be airborne. Get your 'Copter out and let's do this!"

They flew into the cave and landed on the ledge where the witch had been waiting. She took a few steps back and said, "I did not expect them to send devils after me!"

"The only devil around here is you, nasty old hag!" Fidget said as he launched a net at her. He smirked as he watched her struggle, but he did not stop at that.

Digit knew this was bad news. "Uh, Fidget? What are you going to do with her?"

Fidget grabbed the net and dragged the struggling witch to the edge. "I'll show her what happens when the tables have turned! Good thing Penny did not force the three laws of robotics on us."

Digit's jaw dropped. "Fidget! Don't do it, bro! You're better than that!"

After throwing the witch off the ledge, he said, "Yeah, I _could_ burn her at the stake, but given the current situation, a boulder will do." He tried to push the big rock, but Digit wrapped his arms around him and dragged him away.

The dragon entered the cave and blew a fireball at the Gadgetinis, causing the boulder to fall over the witch and crush her.

"At least it wasn't you who killed her," Digit said to his brother.

The dragon prepared to launch another fireball at them, but then realized something. It turned around to notice that Gadget was holding its tail to put handcuffs on it.

"You are under arrest!" Gadget said.

Josef arrived and used his chain weapon to tie the dragon's limbs while avoiding the fireball it launched at him. Because the chain had to be tied in order to fix it after Fidget had cut it, there weren't enough links left to tie the dragon's mouth, so the beast was still free to breathe fire.

Milo noticed another boulder at the top of the ledge. It was much smaller than the big one near the dragon, but it would have to do. He went up there while the Gadgetinis flew out of his way, and then he pushed the boulder over the dragon's head, knocking it unconscious.

"Great work, Milo!" Josef said. "But it's still breathing. So come down here and slay it with that sword I gave you!"

"Will do, brother!" Milo said as he took his sword out and jumped off the ledge. Then he gave a wide grin to Penny before saying, "Now you can see me slay my first dragon, my lady!"

She smiled back and said, "Amazing! I never thought I'd take part in such a historical event!"

"Penny!" Digit yelled. "The portal is getting pretty unstable! We need to go, now!" He pointed at the orange vortex that was getting ripply. It wasn't positioned exactly on the table; half of it went into the cave's wall.

Fidget started to turn semitransparent again. He smiled and said, "Well, it was worth it."

Penny rushed to check on him. "Fidget! What is happening to you?"

"Well, there's no more witch to send the past me through the portal that tore my soul out, so I'll never become ... Fidget."

"Oh no!" Penny said, covering her mouth with her hands. "No! I don't want to lose you!" She wrapped her arms around him as her eyes got all teary.

"You can still visit my past self. You two seem to get along well, a-and it wouldn't be awkward anymore." He started getting teary-eyed too.

She hugged him tighter. "I'd rather not lose the version of you I've met first."

His cheeks were already covered in tears. "Well, I'm sorry it has to end this way. Take care of yourself, Penny!" He let her go and looked around for Digit.

"I just don't get it," Digit said, scowling at him. He would have cried if he could. "Why did you have to change things if you knew you had to lose everything you are? I hate you for tricking me into helping you with this plan! If I knew, I never would have followed through! You've made me kill you! You jerk!"

Fidget tried to stop his voice from shaking as he said, "I'm sorry, Digit. It's just that I wanted to go back and spend more time with my blood brother. I wanted to become who I used to be. Robots outlive all their loved ones. Humans ... can enjoy more things life has to offer, and don't get centuries of watching everyone they've ever cared for die." He tried to hug the other Gadgetini.

Digit pushed him away. "Robots don't have to stick around if they don't want to. They can choose to be destroyed. But they have only one life." He pointed at his brother. "You'll get an eternity, but you won't even know me anymore!"

Fidget said, "There is nothing I can do to change this." Then he tried to hug Digit again.

The blue robot denied him the hug once more. "Then leave me alone! You're making it harder for me to accept this!"

Barely seeing through the curtains of tears that formed over his eyes, Fidget said, "I just want to hug my brother of the same motherboard one last time. Can't I have this simple request?"

Digit finally gave in. "Gah, alright. Come here, you stupid, _stupid_ brother of mine!"

Penny couldn't stop crying seeing the two little robots hug. It was clear to her that Digit hoped that somehow time would not take his brother away from him if he just held on tight enough.

Gadget walked up to them. "Hey, why is everyone so gloomy now?"

Fidget finally managed to tear himself away from Digit and said, "Lieutenant, I regretfully have to inform you that ... I'm retiring early."

Gadget frowned. "Aw, why?"

"Personal problems, sir. I will have to stay here."

"Oh. Okay then. We'll come visit you from time to time."

Fidget barely held himself back from outright bawling. "I'm afraid you will not be able to find me. I'm going to a top secret retirement place."

"Well, in that case, private Fidget, you will be missed."

"Take care of Penny and Digit for me, okay, sir?"

"I will!" Gadget said while pointing at him. "You have my word!"

Fidget saluted with his right hand. "Thanks, Lieutenant. It has been an honor working with you."

"Guys!" Digit said. "We better go, because the portal is getting really unstable!" Then he added a barely audible, "Like my mind."

Penny and Gadget followed Digit into the portal, leaving a fading Fidget behind.

Milo plunged the sword into the dragon's neck, slaying the beast. When he looked around, he was disappointed to notice that there was nobody but Josef who witnessed and applauded his triumph.

Almost completely transparent, Fidget went up to a nest he had found on a rock in the back of the cave. It contained three red, scaly eggs that were as big as those of an ostrich. He knew they were not laid by a bird, but by a dragon, so he used all the anger that had piled up inside him during his last moments and smashed the eggs with his fists.

 **To be continued.**


	5. Final chapter

**5\. Beginnings and Endings**

 **Greatsword village, Britain: present day.**

Inside the cave where the witch and dragons used to live, one of the M.A.D. Agents kept whacking the time machine with a morning star club. He almost succeeded in destroying it, as there were sparks flying everywhere. The orange vortex was getting more and more ripply.

Another M.A.D. Agent arrived and told him, "Hurry up! We can't have Gadget back before all nations surrender!"

"Just one more swing and it's scrap metal!" the other Agent said as he prepared to swing the club again. Then he noticed some different colors mixing with the orange ripples inside the portal. "What?! He's back already?! Well, too late, Gadget!"

The Lieutenant's voice said, "Go Go Gadget Net!" and a net came out of the portal, covering the two M.A.D. Agents while the Gadget family jumped out of the vortex.

"I can't believe this! He was one step ahead of us!" one of the Agents said.

"Don't worry! We still got the big lizard here to help us!" the other Agent said as he used his remote to call the eldest dragon into the cave.

The beast came growling, ready to roast Gadget and his family with the giant fireball forming in its throat.

Gadget froze in place. "Wowzers! I forgot about this dragon!"

"Let's jump back through the portal!" Penny said.

Digit grabbed her by the hand, stopping her from approaching the vortex. "Don't! It could turn you inside out!"

The dragon spat its golden fireball, and Gadget could feel the heat increase as the fire came closer and closer. Digit hugged Penny's arm and closed his eyes while she stared at her uncle, who tried his best to protect his family by taking the hit.

The flames faded away before touching Gadget and the others, leaving only a pleasant warmth in the room. When everyone opened their eyes, they noticed that the dragon turned almost invisible and lacked color. Then, within mere seconds, it faded out of existence.

"The changes from the past have erased the dragon!" Penny said.

Digit looked at the portal and then at her. "Does this mean the other dragons are gone too?"

* * *

 **Metro City: present day.**

The W.O.M.P. headquarters had been leveled to the ground, a pile of rubble telling of its past existence. The younger dragons remained in the city to rain fire and terror over the people who still refused to surrender to Doctor Claw.

A yellow dog with a red nose managed to lead the crowds to some vans that were there to pick up civilians and protect them from the dragons' fiery breaths. The canine's unusual and courageous deeds were being filmed live by a drone and broadcast on Metro City's news channel.

The W.O.M.P. guard saved from under debris watched the news on his smartphone. He was distracted when he heard someone enter the bunker.

Chief Quimby and Colonel Nozzaire walked in, the former having his right leg wounded while the latter having his left ankle sprained, his right arm full of scratches, and his uniform full of tears and white dust from the concrete. Everyone in the room applauded them.

* * *

 **Greatsword village, Britain: present day.**

Gadget kept trying to call the Colonel, but there was no reply. Penny watched the Metro City news on her watch and saw the dog that kept leading the people. "That's Brain!" she said.

The video showed how a dragon prepared to scorch Brain with a fireball, but when the flames hit him, they became harmless and disappeared. The dragon also faded out of existence, leaving the dog confused.

Penny switched the channels and saw news from around the world. The claims were the same: the dragons disappeared and the destruction stopped. "It seems like they're all being erased," she said to Digit.

"Good riddance!" the robot said.

Gadget finally received a call. He answered it, saying, "Lieutenant Gadget here!" After listening to the caller, he recognized who it was. "Colonel Nosehair! I've been trying to call you for ten minutes straight!" He smiled because of what he heard after that. "All in the day's work, sir! Oh, and you might want to send some qualified people here to destroy this time machine before someone thinks of using it to do bad stuff, like erasing doughnuts! Imagine a world without doughnuts!"

The M.A.D. Agents tried to slither away, but Penny stepped next to them and said, "You're not going anywhere except for prison."

A police helicopter arrived and landed next to the cave to arrest the criminals. Gadget went to greet the policemen, and Penny was about to follow until she saw Digit approach the M.A.D. Agents.

"My brother would still be alive if it weren't for you dirtbags!" he said. Then he kicked one of them in the kneecap, causing the man to scream.

"Digit!" Penny yelled. "Calm down!" She dragged him away by his right arm.

"Rot in jail, thugs!" were his last words to the criminals, just before he was taken outside.

* * *

 **Metro City: present day.**

Some of the buildings that had been destroyed started to rebuild themselves as time began to stabilize. Brain looked around trying to figure out where the dragons went. Some of the people wondered how they got inside the vans while others still mentioned dragons and asked why the drivers were not taking them away from the city.

* * *

 **Doctor Claw's hideout: present day.**

Doctor Claw watched as every country's news report stated that the dragons have disappeared. He knew. He just knew he would find that _one_ report he feared, and so he did.

"The M.A.D. Agents that have orchestrated Operation Dragon Plague have been arrested in the Witch's Cave near Greatsword village, all thanks to Lieutenant Gadget and his assistants," the lady from the British news channel stated while the video showed Gadget, Penny, and Digit aligned next to the two policemen and the two criminals.

"Curse you, Gadget!" Doctor Claw said as he smacked his fist into M.A.D. Cat's belly, causing the cat to meow loudly and then jump away hissing. "Why does it always have to be Gadget? Why could he not stay stuck in that portal?" He pointed his sharp, golden claw at the smiling Lieutenant's image on his screen. "I swear, Gadget, there will come a day when I will take the rest of your helpers down, and then it will be a fight between just you and me!"

* * *

 **Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean: present day.**

The Gadget Mobile flew toward the yellow sun, while the sky was almost red as blood.

Gadget turned his head to the side to look at the passengers in the back. "You okay there, guys?"

Penny had bags under her eyes, while Digit seemed to be half asleep.

"I'll fly extra carefully so you guys can get some sleep," Gadget said. What he didn't understand was that Penny was trying to recover from all the crying, while Digit was trying to cope with the idea that he would never see his brother again. For them, it was like a bad dream from which they hoped they could wake up and find out that everything was back to normal.

* * *

 **Metro City: present day.**

The Gadget family arrived in front of their home. As soon as they got out of the car, Penny and Digit went inside their house and headed for Penny's room. They still refused to accept what was happening. They needed to check if it was true.

The picture of Fidget on the wall was semitransparent and desaturated. Penny looked away. It was too much for her in one day.

Digit still had it in him to hop on the bed and extend his right arm to touch the picture as he said, "I can't even remember your name now. But I still know you were my brother, and I still wish you hadn't pulled off this crap." Then he started sniffling.

Penny took him off the bed, embraced him, and said, "Digit, take a rest. It will pass. Just give it time. That's how I coped after I lost my parents."

"Not fair!" Digit said. "You still remember them! He won't be remembered by either of us!"

When Gadget entered the room, he found both of them crying, although only Penny had tears in her eyes. He approached them and said, "Hey, what's going on here? Why are you guys crying? Why am _I_ crying?"

The portrait on the wall became nearly invisible, with only a slight distortion of light telling that there was something there.

Digit calmed down enough to say, "We don't know."

"But it feels like something bad happened," Penny said, still hugging Digit while her uncle hugged them both.

"It must be the weather," Gadget said, wiping his tears away. "How about we go get some ice cream? Maybe that will cheer you up."

Digit gasped. "Ice cream?" He looked at the wall to his left, searching for something he couldn't quite remember. "Why do I have a feeling that the ice cream was supposed to be important?"

Gadget wrapped his extended arms around Digit and Penny. "Of course it is important! You need a certain amount of sugar to be happy." He put them both on the backseat of his car and took the wheel. "Now let's go! I know a place where they serve great ice cream!"

As Gadget started the engine and began to drive away, Digit stared at their house, which got left behind.

Penny put a hand on his right shoulder. "What are you looking at, Digit?"

He turned to look at her. "I have this feeling like we forgot something. Or someone." He thought real hard, and then his eyes widened. "Fidget!"

The sound of a rotor caught his and Penny's attention. When they looked behind the Gadget Mobile, they saw a familiar orange humanoid who was heading their way.

"Lieutenant! Wait for me!"

Gadget flinched and turned his head around to see who was yelling. "Fidget?! Go Go Gadget Convertible Mode!"

The car removed its roof, allowing Fidget to land inside it on the backseat.

Gadget smiled at him. "Changed your mind, private?"

Digit hugged Fidget so tight the latter thought his screws were going to pop out. Penny hugged them both and giggled.

"Yeah, I'm here to stay for however long I'm needed," Fidget said.

"How did you get out of this one?"

"Well, Penny," Fidget said, "I was almost completely gone, but my dumbass biological brother started messing with the witch's potions, and then they exploded, creating another portal that sucked the past me in." He pointed at himself and grinned. "As a result, yours truly was allowed to be reborn."

"Never ever leave us again, you tin can haunting ghost!" Digit said as he gave Fidget a noogie on the hat.

"You've arrived at the perfect time, private Fidget!" Gadget said. "Now you can get that ice cream I've promised you."

Fidget raised his fists above his head and said, "Yeah! What a great way to end the day!"

And so, the Gadget Mobile drove toward the sunset.

* * *

The next day, the W.O.M.P. headquarters reappeared without a scratch. The event of a giant dragon destroying it never took place.

Gadget sat at the desk where his boss used to sit. He played chess versus Digit, but he still had much to learn.

Digit grabbed the piece that Gadget moved halfway across the chessboard. "You can't move the king over here, sir. It's not a queen."

Gadget scowled. "Aw, shoot! The most important piece, and it's barely mobile."

Fidget played his favorite MOBA on the big screen. He fell on his back the moment his gaming was interrupted by the face of Gadget's boss. "Good thing I wasn't in a tournament!" he said.

Nozzaire gave a nasty look at the camera. "What was that, Lieutenant Fidget?"

Fidget quickly got up and saluted with his hand at the temple. "Nothing, General Nozzaire!"

"That's what I thought. Colonel Gadget? Are you there?"

Gadget put the pawn down and saluted. "Good morning, General Nosehair!"

"It's Nozzaire! Anyway, congratulations on getting promoted, Gadget. Although I am worried that sending the robots unsupervised on missions might not be such a good idea."

"They are perfectly capable of handling missions on their own, Colonel. Uh, I mean, General. But to be frank, I'd get bored sitting at this desk all day, so I'll probably continue to go with them."

"Yeah, and Fidget proved to be competent; otherwise he wouldn't have earned his rank," Digit said.

"The same can't be said about you, private!" Nozzaire said while pointing at the camera.

Digit hid his glaring eyes under the brim of his hat. He couldn't argue, because he refused the promotion out of the guilt he felt for what had happened during the time travel.

Fidget rubbed his nonexistent chin. "How did General Nozzaire earn his rank anyway?"

"He must have done something remarkable to have earned the rank. Right, General Nosehair?" Gadget said.

Nozzaire's eyes began to shift as he tried to remember the details. "Yeah, well … I … Wait. What did I do to get here?"

The sound of a door being kicked in came from Nozzaire's side. The general looked away from the camera, shocked by who he saw.

"General Nosehair, I am Officer Joe Tōl, and you are under arrest for acquiring your rank through unknown means!" a man with a voice almost similar to Gadget's said.

Nozzaire stepped away from the camera, and the officer entered its view. He had a striking resemblance to Gadget, except for his bushy mustache. He wore a black uniform, decorated with a golden badge on the chest, and on his head there was a police cap with a silver badge.

"I swear I have not done anything illegal to get my rank!" Nozzaire said as he was being handcuffed. "Gadget! Tell him how I got here!"

Gadget shrugged. "I'm sorry, General Nosehair, but I don't know either."

"You have the right to remain silent, and you will be coming with me to the station for further investigations," the policeman said.

As he was pulled away, the general stared at the camera. "Gadget! Say something! Help me!"

Gadget smiled and said, "Don't worry, General! This is probably caused by the temporal anomalies left behind by the time machine. Everything should stabilize within a few more hours."

As the bespectacled guy of W.O.M.P. headquarters went with a glass in his hand to the water cooler, he was startled by Nozzaire's voice – although this time it came through the transmission. And as always, the shouted word was, "Gadgeeeeeeeeeet!"

 **THE END**


End file.
